Method and apparatus for enabling interaction between callers with calls positioned in a queue

ABSTRACT

The call handling system incorporating the invention is directed at: queuing a call when no agent is available to service the call; giving the caller an option to monitor (but not participate in) other caller conversations with similar queries, or to listen to recorded calls involving similar queries; querying a database using collected initial information as a search key(s) to retrieve a similar call currently being serviced or a recorded call; and connecting the caller to a communication channel to allow the monitoring of a call while not losing place in the queue for a next available agent. In a further embodiment of the invention, the caller is given a further option to enter a &#34;chat room&#34; where callers having like problems can converse until an agent becomes available.

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 08/832,724 filed on Apr. 11, 1997 and issued as U.S. Pat. No.5,978,467.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to communication switching systems and,more specifically, to a queuing system for calls directed to a callcenter, wherein a caller can monitor other calls while awaiting anagent's response.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

For a growing number of public and private organizations,telephone-based customer support plays an increasingly vital role inactivities requiring direct communication with a caller/customer. Inorder to serve a maximum number of callers, every call center isdesigned to optimize call handling efficiency and telephone agentproductivity. Some prior art systems allow telephone agents to service agreater number of callers by a) ascertaining a caller's request throughcollection, by a live agent, of initial information from the caller, andb) transferring the call to a voice response unit to address thespecific request of the caller. Other systems reverse the answer andcollection process by connecting the caller initially to a voiceresponse unit which collects information that is ultimately used toroute the call to an appropriate agent.

While these techniques increase agent productivity, such systems areoften limited to business transactions that are rather simple andclearly defined. For moderately complex applications, in which callerrequests differ significantly from one caller to the next,semi-automated prior art systems may lead to disconnects, connection toa wrong agent pool, or a sequence of call transfers that may bedisconcerting to some callers.

A common device used in telemarketing centers to enhance agentproductivity is an Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) which allows a callcenter to cost-effectively handle a large number of calls by placingcalls in a holding queue when no agents are available. Before a call isplaced in the holding queue, a greeting message identifying the calledparty is played by the ACD, via an interactive voice response unit(IVRU), to the caller, indicating that the next available agent willservice the call. During the holding period, music or advertisingmessages may be played to the caller to entertain or inform the callerof sales promotions for particular products or services.

Call queuing plays a very important role in call center operations.Known advantages to the call center include increased agent productivityby reduction of idle time for the agent, and increased capacity tohandle more calls simultaneously during peak calling periods. Long callqueues, however, have several disadvantages. Call centers waste atremendous amount of money servicing long call queues. Callers wastetime while in the queue, resulting in dissatisfaction with the serviceprovided, potentially leading to abandoned calls. Further, for non 800number calls, the user pays telecommunication charges while waiting.

It is known that many callers to call centers have identical or nearlyidentical queries but still obtain individual handling by agents. Theprior art has attempted to handle such queries by providing pre-recordedanswers to commonly asked questions. However, such a facility canprovide less than satisfactory customer service, especially when therecorded answer does not precisely match the customer's query.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a call queuing system whichenables a caller to obtain information in response to a query, prior toan agent being able to answer the call.

It is another object of the invention to provide a call queuing systemwhich enables a caller whose call has been placed in a queue to "listenin" on other calls-wherein discussions are being held that relate to thecaller's query.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a call queuing systemwhich allows a caller, whose call is on hold, to browse through anarchive of recorded calls or to listen to an on-going call so as toenable the caller's question to be possibly answered, without requiringconnection to a live agent.

The present invention is directed to: queuing a call when no agent isavailable to service the call, giving the caller an option to monitor(but not participate in) other caller conversations with similarqueries, querying a database using collected initial information as asearch key(s) to retrieve additional information needed to find asimilar caller currently being serviced, and connecting the caller to acommunication channel to allow the monitoring of a call while not losingplace in the queue for a next available agent.

The invention takes advantage of the features and functionality offeredby premise-based ACDs. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, anACD at the call center determines that no agents are available to handlean incoming call and invites the caller to be placed in an interactiveholding queue. Upon receiving a signal indicating the caller'swillingness to be placed in the queue, announcements are then played tothe caller in order to collect initial information to direct the call.The collected information enables the system to search for a similarsubject already being handled by an agent. If such a call is on-going,the call is forwarded to a switch serving the agent. The switch, inturn, allows the caller to monitor the call in progress or a previouscall which has been recorded. A database retains the caller's subjectand queue status until an agent becomes available. When an agent becomesavailable the switch disconnects the monitor-only connection of thecaller and forwards the call to the available agent.

In another embodiment of the invention, the caller is given an option toremain in the monitor-only status until the monitored call is completedand then to return to the top of the queue for the next available agent.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the caller is given the optionto enter a "chat room" where callers having similar problems canconverse until an agent becomes available.

The present invention has the advantage of reducing the size of a callqueue, thereby increasing customer satisfaction while directlydecreasing the costs of the provider.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a caller-interactive phone queuing systemthat incorporates the invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an automated call distributor (ACD) usedwith the invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a private branch exchange (PBX) used withthe invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic drawing of the contents of a call database used inthe invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic drawing showing an agent database used with theinvention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a recorded call archives database usedwith the invention.

FIG. 7 is flow chart describing the method by which calls are processedand routed in accordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a priority phone queuing system incorporating theinvention includes a Private Branch Exchange (PBX) 10, an ACD 12 and anIVRU 14. PBX 10 receives incoming calls via trunk 11 and is, via trunk20, connected to a plurality of agent terminals 16. PBX 10 furtherprovides caller data to ACD 12 which handles queuing management of thecalls and further controls the operation of IVRU 14. IVRU 14communicates with the callers by passing/receiving audio signals throughACD 12 to/from PBX 10 and the connected calling party whose call hasbeen placed on hold. Those skilled in the art will understand that theprecise arrangement of PBX 10, ACD 12 and IVRU 14 shown in FIG. 1 ismerely illustrative, and that other arrangements thereof can accomplishthe invention to be described below.

In the description which follows, it will be assumed that all agentterminals 16 are busy and that PBX 10 cannot respond to an incoming callby making a direct connection to an agent. As a result, PBX 10 is forcedto place an incoming call on hold and to provide data regarding the callto ACD 12. In response, ACD 12 places the incoming call in a queue, inthe order received. Thereafter, when PBX 10 determines that an agentterminal is available, it so instructs ACD 12, which removes the call atthe top of the queue and provides it to PBX 10, which then takes thecorresponding incoming line off hold and connects the caller to theavailable agent terminal 16.

Once ACD 12 has placed the incoming call in a queue, it transmits amessage to IVRU 14 which, in turn, plays a message for the caller whosecall has been placed on hold. That message provides the caller with theoption to "listen-in" on other customer service calls that are alreadyin progress and that are directly related to the subject matter of thecaller's query. Should the caller accept the offer, IVRU 14 notifies ACD12 of the acceptance. ACD 12 then instructs PBX 10 to re-route the callto enable the caller to listen to an agent/caller discussing a subjectthat is common to the incoming caller's query.

ACD 12 can also be programmed to allow the caller whose call has beenplaced on hold to selectively "sample" available calls in progress orpreviously recorded customer service calls. The previously recordedcalls are stored in data storage in PBX 10 in a "recorded call archive".Allowing the caller whose call is on hold to selectively browse throughthe archive or to listen to an on-going call may result in the caller'squestion being answered, without requiring connection to a live agent.The incoming caller, while on hold, is enabled to access and listen toany archived call in the same subject category as his call, and/or tolisten to the different on-going calls to see if any one addresses theparticular problem he has called about.

ACD 12 can further be programmed to allow the caller whose call has beenplaced on hold to participate in a "chat room" with other customerswhose calls are also in the queue. A chat room is a line on whichmultiple people can talk simultaneously, enabling the customers toexchange advice regarding the problems they are experiencing. Thisexchange offers the possibility of obtaining a solution/answer to thecaller's problem without requiring connection to a live agent.

Enabling an incoming caller whose call has been placed on hold in aqueue to either "listen-in" on a live call-in-progress, to access andsearch through pre-recorded calls in the same subject area or toparticipate in a chat room, provides many benefits. Among these benefitsare a reduction in calls that will require live operator assistance, anincrease in customer satisfaction, and an decreased hold time for eachcaller.

Further details of the components of the system of FIG. 1 will now bedescribed to enable a more complete understanding of the invention.Referring now to FIG. 2, ACD 12 is controlled by a central processingunit (CPU) 22 and includes a clock 24, a read-only memory (ROM) 26 and arandom access memory (RAM) 28. RAM 28 includes one or more call queue(s)30 of call identifier indicating calls awaiting connection to an agentterminal 16.

A data storage device 32 (e.g., a disk drive) includes a call handlingprocedure 34 that enables handling of queue(s) 30 and other functionsperformed by ACD 12, to be hereafter described. Data storage device 32further includes a call database 36 and an agent database 38, all ofwhich will be hereafter described in conjunction with the schematicillustrations in FIGS. 4 and 5.

ACD 12 communicates with PBX 10 via communications port 40 and PBXinterface 42; and with IVRU 14, via IVRU interface 44. Also connectedvia communication port 40 is a floppy disk drive 48 which is adapted toreceive a disk cartridge 49. It is to be understood that call handlingprocedure 34 can be off-loaded from disk cartridge 49 and thereafterutilized to control the operation of ACD 12.

Call database 36 maintains information regarding incoming calls. Agentdatabase 38 provides further information regarding each agent terminal16 and provides signals to PBX 10 which instruct as to the routing ofcontrol signals and telephone calls to individual agent terminals 16.

Turning now to FIG. 3, PBX 10 comprises a switch network 50 whichreceives incoming calls via trunk 11 and provides outgoing connectionsto agent terminals 16 (FIG. 1) via trunk 20. Control of switch network50 is exerted by central processing unit (CPU) 52 which is, in turn,controlled by procedures stored in RAM 54 and ROM 56.

Control procedures and databases used by CPU 52 are held in data storagedevice 58. Stored therein is a call transaction process 60, a recordedcall archive database 62 and a routing database 64. Call transactionprocess 60 enables CPU 52 to react to an incoming call; to place thecall on hold if all agents are busy; to connect the call to an availableagent; and to communicate with ACD 12 so as to enable the caller tomonitor calls in progress, to "browse" through recorded call archives 62or to participate in a chat room. A call recorder 65 enables recordingof calls and may be addressed by CPU 52, responsive to data in recordedcall archive 62, to play previously recorded calls for caller listening.

Recorded call archive 62 holds recordings of prior calls with agents.These calls are classified by subject matter to enable an accessingthereof by an associative search process. Routing database 64 maintainsroute information to connected agent terminals 16 (and any otherterminals that are connected to PBX 10).

PBX 10 controls communications with each of agent terminals 16, via acommunication port 66 and an agent interface 68. Control signals aresent to agent terminals 16 via control wiring (not shown) between PBX 10and each of agent terminals 16. The control signals may, alternatively,be carried over the internal telephone network comprising trunk 20. ACDinterface 70 enables PBX 10 to communicate with ACD 12 (see FIG. 2).

Referring also to FIG. 1, each agent terminal 16 includes acommunication "back" channel connection 72 which enables an agent at anagent terminal 16 to provide a call subject classification back to PBX10. More specifically, when an agent has initially conversed with acaller and determined the subject of the caller's query, the agenttransmits a subject category value to PBX 10, via back channel 72. PBX10 feeds the call subject category value to ACD 12 for storage in a calldatabase in association with the call.

It is to be understood that PBX 10, ACD 12 and IVRU 14 are allcommercially available units. For instance, the Ameritech Corporation'sCall Center provides all of the functions including automatic call agentfunctions, automatic call distribution/switching functions andinteractive voice response functions.

Turning now to FIGS. 4-6, three databases are schematically illustratedwhich aid in the implementation of the invention. Call database 36(FIG.4) includes a listing of call tracking numbers which are assignedto calls as each call is received; a call subject category whichidentifies a subject classification of a caller's inquiry; a callposition value which indicates the call's queue position; the caller'sphone number; a channel number which identifies the internal telephoneline to which the call has been assigned (for connection to an agent);the time the call was received; an agent tracking number; and an archivecall number which indicates an archived call (if any) to which thecaller has been connected.

FIG. 5 illustrates the contents of agent database 38. The agentidentification number is self-explanatory. The agent status indicateswhether the agent is busy or available. The agent area of expertiseentry defines a particular subject matter (or subject matters) which theagent is competent to handle. The latter category enables ACD 12 toconnect an incoming call (where the subject of the call has beenpre-identified by the caller), to an agent having expertise in thecall's subject matter.

FIG. 6 illustrates recorded call archive database 62 which includes fourfields, i.e., a call subject category which defines the subject matterof a call recorded in the archive database; the date the call wasrecorded; the length of the recorded call; and the recorded call data.Each field enables ACD 12, in conjunction with call handling procedure34, to manage the connection of an archived call to a caller waiting ina queue. The subject matter and date of the recorded call are used toaccess the recording within archive database 62.

It is to be understood that the above-described databases are intendedto illustrate one embodiment of the present invention. Many alternativedatabase structures will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Referring to the flow diagram of FIG. 7, the procedure employed by theinvention will be described. Initially, a caller places a call to acustomer service provider (box 100). The incoming caller's telephonenumber is detected by an automatic number identification (ANI) facility.In response to voice prompts from IVRU 14, and in conjunction withcontrol commands from ACD 12, PBX 10 then inputs information regardingthe call to ACD 12 (box 102). One such piece of information may be thesubject matter of the call. For instance, IVRU 14 may provide a seriesof subjects to the caller, and ask the caller to respond by depressing aspecified key to identify a particular subject (e.g. "press 1 forprinter problems, press 2 for modem problems").

Once the call information has been entered by ACD 12 into call database36, the system determines whether an appropriate agent is available(decision box 104). If so, the call is routed to the agent's phone andthe information associated with the call is transmitted to the agent'sterminal (box 106). If no agent is available, the call is placed in theholding queue (box 108). IVRU 14 plays a message asking whether thecaller would like to monitor an on-going call, an archived call orparticipate in a "chat room" (decision box 110). If the caller declinesto hear more information, the call remains on hold in the holding queue(box 112) to await availability of an appropriate agent (decision box118).

If the caller agrees to hear additional information (decision box 110),an appropriate call in-progress, archived call or chat room is selected,as the case may be, based on the subject of the incoming call and thepreferences of the caller (box 114). For instance, each call in progresswith an agent has already had a subject matter categorization enteredinto call database 36. Accordingly, by matching the incoming callsubject with ongoing call subject categories in call database 36, anappropriate call in progress can be selected for connection to theincoming caller's line. It is to be noted, however, that the connectionof the incoming caller's line only allows a monitoring of the call inprogress call. It should be noted that the initial caller who iscurrently talking to a live operator is provided the option ofmaintaining a private call. Should the caller not want another party to"listen in", he can simply designate so at the onset of the connectionwith the live operator. Call centers may provide callers with someincentive to allow other callers to "listen in". For example, a callermight receive a discount towards a future purchase for allowing an openline. In addition, all operators will be given the ability to mute orlock out any listeners. When caller sensitive material or information isgoing to provide a credit card account number or software licensenumber, the operator might simply press a button, securing the phoneline such that no one can hear that sensitive information. Similaractions occur with respect to archived calls and chat room(s), dependingon the incoming caller's choice. For instance, if the caller elects tolisten to an archived call, call handling procedure 34 selects anappropriate recorded call from the archive and plays the call for theincoming caller.

Should the caller determine that a call selection made by call handlingprocedure 34 is not of interest, or involves a subject that does notmatch the caller's subject, the caller is enabled (box 116) to monitoror "browse" other calls in progress or other archived calls. Thisbrowsing is enabled through the entry (by the caller) and detection (byIVRU 14) of appropriate tones to restart the call selection processdescribed above. Only when an appropriate agent becomes available (box118) does the procedure terminate, to enable the incoming call to berouted to the agent (box 106).

If an appropriate agent is still not available when a monitored callends, and further calls are available to be monitored, the system thenenables the caller to select another call (box 120). This actioncontinues until an agent becomes available or the caller determines thathis/her query has been answered by the aforesaid call listening/chatroom actions.

The provision of the above-noted listening/chat room features enables acaller whose call has been placed in a queue to possibly find an answerto a query in advance of being connected to an agent. As a result, anumber of incoming calls will disconnect before being connected to anagent, thereby enabling an improvement in service to other callers stillon hold. Further, since the call queue moves faster, the call centerstands to gain as a result of shorter call times leading to lowertelecommunication costs.

A system embodying the invention can include further features, whichwill enable the system to exhibit additional options for call centeroperations. For example, a caller might be given the option of notmaking his call available for monitoring by other callers; the callermight be billed less for a call that is made available for monitoring;if a live call is chosen to be monitored, the listening-in caller mightlose his position in the call queue, to be positioned at the end of thequeue when he quits the call monitoring function. Further, a charge maybe levied for the monitoring/listening-in option.

It should be understood that the foregoing description is onlyillustrative of the invention. Various alternatives and modificationscan be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from theinvention. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace allsuch alternatives, modifications and variances which fall within thescope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of processing a telephone call from a first caller to a call center, the telephone call from the first caller being placed in a telephone call queue, comprising:offering the first caller an option to participate in a conversation involving a second caller, the second caller having also placed a telephone call to the call center; and arranging for the first caller to participate in the conversation involving the second caller.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first caller participates in the conversation by listening to the conversation.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the conversation comprises an in-progress call between the second caller and an agent associated with the call center.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the conversation comprises a recorded call between the second caller and an agent associated with the call center.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the conversation comprises a conversation between the first caller and the second caller.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:determining a subject associated with the telephone call from the first caller, wherein said arranging comprises arranging for the first caller to participate in a conversation associated with the subject.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein said determination is performed by at least one of: (i) an agent associated with the call center; (ii) a voice response unit; and (iii) an interactive voice response unit.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:when an agent associated with the call center becomes available, arranging for the first caller to be connected to the agent.
 9. A call center device for processing a telephone call from a first caller to a call center, the telephone call from the first caller being placed in a telephone call queue, comprising:a processor; and a storage device coupled to said processor and storing instructions adapted to be executed by said processor to:offer the first caller an option to participate in a conversation involving a second caller, the second caller having also placed a telephone call to the call center; and arrange for the first caller to participate in the conversation involving the second caller.
 10. The call center device of claim 9, wherein the first caller participates in the conversation by listening to the conversation.
 11. The call center device of claim 9, wherein the conversation comprises an in-progress call between the second caller and an agent associated with the call center.
 12. The call center device of claim 9, wherein the conversation comprises a recorded call between the second caller and an agent associated with the call center.
 13. The call center device of claim 9, wherein the conversation comprises a conversation between the first caller and t he second caller.
 14. The call center device of claim 9, wherein said storage device further stores instructions adapted to be executed by said processor to:determine a subject associated with the telephone call from the first caller, wherein said processor arranges for the first caller to participate in a conversation associated with the subject.
 15. The call center device of claim 14, wherein the determination is performed by at least one of: (i) an agent associated with the call center; (ii) a voice response unit; and (iii) an interactive voice response unit.
 16. The call center device of claim 9, wherein said storage device further stores instructions adapted to be executed by said processor to:when an agent associated with the call center becomes available, arrange for the first caller to be connected to the agent.
 17. The call center device of claim 9, wherein said storage device further stores a call database.
 18. The call center device of claim 9, wherein said storage device further stores an agent database.
 19. The call center device of claim 9, wherein said storage device further stores a recorded call archives database.
 20. The call center device of claim 9, wherein said storage device further stores a routing database.
 21. A medium storing instructions adapted to be executed by a processor to perform a method of processing a telephone call from a first caller to a call center, the telephone call from the first caller being placed in a telephone call queue, said method comprising:offering the first caller an option to participate in a conversation involving a second caller, the second caller having also placed a telephone call to the call center; and arranging for the first caller to participate in the conversation involving the second caller.
 22. The medium of claim 21, wherein the first caller participates in the conversation by listening to the conversation.
 23. The medium of claim 21, wherein the conversation comprises an in-progress call between the second caller and an agent associated with the call center.
 24. The medium of claim 21, wherein the conversation comprises a recorded call between the second caller and an agent associated with the call center.
 25. The medium of claim 21, wherein the conversation comprises a conversation between the first caller and the second caller.
 26. The medium of claim 21, said method further comprising:determining a subject associated with the telephone call from the first caller, wherein said arranging comprises arranging for the first caller to participate in a conversation associated with the subject.
 27. The medium of claim 26, wherein said determination is performed by at least one of: (i) an agent associated with the call center; (ii) a voice response unit; and (iii) an interactive voice response unit.
 28. The medium of claim 21, said method further comprising:when an agent associated with the call center becomes available, arranging for the first caller to be connected to the agent.
 29. A computer-readable medium that stores data accessible by a program executable on a data processing system, the data being organized according to a data structure that includes:a first caller data object representing a first caller who placed a telephone call to a call center, the telephone call being placed in a telephone call queue; and a conversation data object representing a conversation involving a second caller, wherein an option to participate in the conversation is offered to the first caller and an arrangement is made for the first caller to participate in the conversation.
 30. A call center system for processing a telephone call from a first caller to a call center, the telephone call from the first caller being placed in a telephone call queue, comprising:means for offering the first caller an option to participate in a conversation involving a second caller, the second caller having also placed a telephone call to the call center; and means for arranging for the first caller to participate in the conversation involving the second caller.
 31. A method of processing a telephone call from a first caller to a call center, the telephone call from the first caller being placed in a telephone call queue, comprising:a step for offering the first caller an option to participate in a conversation involving a second caller, the second caller having also placed a telephone call to the call center; and a step for arranging for the first caller to participate in the conversation involving the second caller.
 32. A method of processing a telephone call from a first caller to a call center, the telephone call from the first caller being placed in a telephone call queue, comprising:offering the first caller an option to participate in a conversation involving a second caller; receiving an identifier from the first caller; selecting, based on the received identifier, a conversation involving a second caller; arranging for the first caller to participate in the selected conversation; receiving an indication from the first caller of a desire to participate in a different conversation; and arranging for the first caller to participate in the different conversation. 